Friday, December 04, 2009

Boston Team Allegiances

A Twitter communication (see how I did that @twalk?) last night about the Celtics made me think about the Celtics for the first team all season. I simply don't really follow the Celtics that closely, never have, even back in the 80s. Of course I root for my hometown team to win, but it is never with a bunch of passion or caring. It really is simply because they have the city name on their jersey's. Now this is not to say I don't like the NBA, I actually love pro ball. However, it is the only sport for me that I can watch all the teams play and really not care who wins/losses.

There are several reasons for this, but the real question that popped in my head when I had this realization was, "How do you rate your sports allegiances?". I take several factors into consideration:

1) Pain you feel after a loss.2) Amount of times you'll re-watch a single game.3) Percentage of games you'll watch during said season.4) Amount of time you take discussing off season moves.5) Money you spend on tickets/shirts/etc for said team.6) Emotional pull to team unknown to common man (Dad went to UNC, Stan Musial donated a kidney to you).

Going through this list I weighed everything and put together a few lists, which I whittled down yet again after reviewing each. There were some surprises:

The first two are a no-brainer, and I've stated to many of you that I've always placed the Pats #1 and Sox a very close #2. I'm guessing most of you flip that around. But the rest of the list makes sense...but only after I thought about it a lot. Rather than dive through my reasons for the way the list is, I want to see your list in the comments.

I should state up front here that I'm very intrigued by what Tim is going to come up with. I know Oklahoma and Notre Dame won't be on the list, but after that ... ? No pressure, @TWalk. No pressure

As for my list:

1. Red Sox. Not a moment's hesitation on this one. I have no doubt I'll live and die with this team at the top of the list, even if they do go through some down years.

2. Patriots. Having never played football, I don't really understand the intricacies of the game. That said, I certainly enjoy watching this team play! Patriots were probably 3rd or 4th on this list when I was younger, but then the Celtics tanked it for more than a decade. That, and the team escaped its status as one of--if not THE--most laughable professional franchises in all of sports. Thank you, Bob Kraft, Bill Parcells, and (yes) Drew Bledsoe.

3. Celtics. The undisputed No. 2 team on my list during the '80s and probably up until 1993-1994 (death of Reggie Lewis in '93 was tough, and still remember hearing the news of Len Bias out at recess in the 4th grade). Larry Bird--whose uniform number now matches my age, for the record--is my all-time favorite player (Pedro in his heyday is 2nd, FWIW). It isn't quite the same with this version of The Big Three, but I do catch some games during the season.

Other teams on this list over the years (in no particular order):

Bruins. I've never been a huge hockey guy--although taking in an NHL game in person is a treat! I followed them a bit as a kid, but never with a very strong emotional attachment.

Bufalo Sabres. Went through a phase in mid-to-late '90s where I cheered on this team from Western New York. During the '96-'97 and '97-'98 campaigns, my college roommate and I would watch many of their games on the now-defunct Empire Sports Network; we even ventured out to Buffalo for three or four games. As budding sports broadcasters ourselves, we particularly enjoyed the over-the-top calls of play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret.

Syracuse University sports. My passion for the Orange (then the Orangemen/Orangewomen) more or less fizzled after I graduated in 1998, though I did keep tabs on the women's hoops team for a while. I one of the radio "voices" of the team for two seasons, so it made sense. And perhaps the most exciting sporting event I ever attended in person was the football team's heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma in the Carrier Dome home opener in the fall of 1994. See, Tim: The Sooners have played the role of the enemy for me, too!

Potential future addition to this list?

UT sports. I really do enjoy watching the gridiron squad compete. Hard not to like Colt McCoy, and Mack Brown strikes me as much more of a standup/level-headed coach than some of his slimeball brethren across the sport.

I will say, after reading Aaron and Bryan's responses that UT sports is certainly creeping up the ladder for me, but I fight getting attached because I feel I need a more legitimate reason to cheer those teams on. Another post me thinks.